The Packers play on Thanksgiving. 11:30 AM.
They go to Detroit with a 10-0 record. They are the only unbeaten team in the National Football League. The Pack will attempt to extend the winning streak against a pretty good Lions team.
They have done this before. It was 1962. Grandpa George, Nana, your Mom and I watched the game on a new color TV at the Steger homestead. Lombardi was in his fourth year as a coach. His legend was just beginning. The Packers had won the NFL championship the previous year (there was no Super Bowl yet). They opened ’62 with a 10-0 record. It seemed like they were unbeatable. They headed for Detroit for a Thanksgiving day celebration. Detroit in ’62 had a really lousy team. The rest is history. The Packers got “smoked”. Quarterback Bart Starr got sacked 10 times. Detroit led 23-0 at half time. The Pack adjusted at half time but could not overcome the deficit. Final score? 26-14. The Packers left Detroit with a 10-1 record. They finished the regular season 13-1. Later that year, Lombardi guided them to a second straight NFL championship. Detroit tarnished what could have been a perfect season.
It is now 49 years later. The cast of players have changed. The similarities are erie. The current Packers are last year’s Super Bowl Champs! They have same 10-0 record! There is talk of an unbeaten season!
Will history repeat itself? You need to tune in Thursday to find out. Will Aaron Rodgers get sacked 10 times? Will Detroit score a lot of points in the first half of the game?
Relax. Even if the Packers lose, they will go on to complete a spectacular season and win their second straight Super Bowl. It is pre-ordained by history. I’ve lived through this scenerio before.
I hope your Turkey day is a winner. In the end, gathering with family and friends around the TV to cheer on Wisconsin’s favorite team is what it is all about. Hug the person next to you. And the next! and the next!
Love,
Dad